2 February , 1916 8:21
Toul, Verdun Sector
Escadrille C17
Sergent Gaston A. Voscadeaux

Flight operations were resumed today once Adj. Becquerel returned from his leave. Gaston was paired with Sous Lieutenant Dessarce to attack the Verdun rail yard spur line NE junction. Gaston winced with every engine sputter coming from Dessarce’s plane. If he keeps abusing them like that, he will have no engines left for the return flight. They crossed the lines among the usual puffs of Flak welcoming them to the Front. There were no other planes visible anywhere around, which could not be blamed on the weather. The conditions were perfect allowing for excellent visibility. The rail yard would soon be in range when Voscadeaux noticed dark wisps of smoke emanating from Dessarce’s airplane. The wisps grew larger transforming into trails marking the flight’s location for miles. Sous Lieutenant begun to lose altitude and turned west toward the closest front lines. Gaston pressed on watching the smoke trail disappear in the distance. The rail yard came into view and he noticed a train leaving the station. The Caudron was just flying over it and this gave Gaston an idea. He wondered if he could hit it. He aimed and let one of the bombs go, then watched as the train passed under and the bomb exploded harmlessly behind it. Well that was fun Gaston, but next time account for the train’s movement. He aimed again and released his last bomb over the sheds. He watched it explode just short, inflicting minimal damage. There were no excuses for that one. The sheds weren’t moving even one inch. Gaston sighed. He was sure le Capitaine will order them to repeat the mission tomorrow. He swung his crate around and headed for home. Voscadeaux felt indifferent when he learned that Dessarce made it safely back to the ground on the French side. Gaston would prefer the Sous Lieutenant to get a taste of German hospitality for a while and learn some humility.


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."